Lawn sprinkler



A. CADELLA LAWN SPRINKLER May 23, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 28, 1958 INVENTOR.

ANTHONY EADELLA ATTORNEY- y 23, 1961 A. CADELLA 2,985,381

LAWN SPRINKLER Filed April 28, 1958 2 SheetsSheet 2 ANTHUNY [LABEL-LA ATTORNEY United States Patent C) LAWN SPRINKLER Anthony Cadella, 50 Fremont St., Bridgeport, Conn.

Filed Apr. 28, 1958, Ser. No. 731,252

4 Claims. (Cl. 239-280) The present invention relates to a lawn sprinkler, and has for an object to provide a sprinkler adapted to direct a spray over a relatively large circular area, and which may be selectively controlled to spray one or more quadrants of such circular area. A further object is to provide an improved valve means for selectively controlling the sprinkler, which may either be provided directly upon a sprinkler head, or may be connected to the sprinkler head at a remote point, so that the selective control of the sprinkler head may be carried out while the sprinkler is in operation without subjecting the person operating the sprinkler to a wetting from the spray of the sprinkler.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein a satisfactory embodiment of the invention is shown. However, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the sprinkler according to the invention, with selective control means directly mounted upon the sprinkler head;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the sprinkler;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing an alternative arrangement wherein a remote control connection is pro vided between the sprinkler head and the selective control means;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the outer side of one of the two connector members for remote control connection;

'Fig. 7 is an elevational view of the inner side thereof;

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1-4 thereof, the lawn sprinkler head, according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention illustrated therein, comprises a body member 10, preferably in the form of a casting of bronze or other suitable metal, including a horizontal base portion 11 provided with an upstanding peripheral circular wall 12, and having at its underside a plurality of radially extending divergent supporting legs 13. Centrally of the base 11 there is provided an upstanding post 14 from which a plurality of radial partition walls 15 extend to the peripheral wall 12, four such walls being provided to divide the body into four compartments 15a in the form of quadrants. The upper edges of the partition walls are convexly curved downwardly and outwardly to engage the inner surface of a dome-like cover member 16, of substantially semi-spherical form, provided at its lower edge with an outwardly extending flange 17 which seatsupon a packing ring 18 disposed upon the upper side of the circular wall 12 inwardly of a positioning rim 19.

The cover member is retained in place by a retaining ring 20 secured by screws 21 engaged through registering holes 22, 23 and 24 of the retaining ring 20, the flange 17, and the packing ring 24, and screwed into threaded holes 25 in the wall 12. Suitably arranged holes 26 are provided in the cover member 16, preferably having their axes radial to its center point, and are adapted to direct the spray from the four compartments 1511 provided by the partition walls 15, as will presently more fully appear.

Upon the underside of the base 11 there is provided an enlargement 27 provided with four parallel inlet passages 28 extending from ports 28a opening to the respective compartments to the vertical face of a flange 29 provided at one side of the head.

A selective control member 30 is secured to the flange 29 by bolts 31, a sealing gasket 32 being interposed between the flange and the member 30. In the lower portion of the member 30 there are provided four cylindrical pockets 33 respectively in axial line with the passages 28, and which are connected by ports or outlet passages 34 to a distributing chamber 35, which in turn is connected by a port 36 to an interiorly threaded hub 37 into which the exteriorly threaded fitting upon the end of a hose may be screwed. Within each of the pockets 33 there is provided a tubular cylindrical valve member 38, the bore of which constitutes an outlet passage of the control member which opens to the aligned inlet passage 28 of the sprinkler head and is provided at one side with a port 39, which in one position registers with the respective port 34 extending to the distributing chamber 35, and through a half-turn of the valve member is removed from the port 34 so that the latter is closed by the solid wall of the valve member diametrically opposite the port 39. The inner end of the valve member is closed and is provided with a threaded stud 40 engaged in a threaded hole 41 coaxial with the pocket 33, a reduced diameter stem 42 extending outwardly from the stud and being provided at its outer end with a slot 43 for convenient engagement by a screwdriver for turning the valve through to move it into on and off positions.

In order to effectually retain the operative positions of the valves, the respective stems 42 are each provided with flats 44-44 upon their opposite sides, one flat of each of the stems being engaged by one of four leaf springs 45 to yieldably retain the position of the valve. For convenience the four leaf springs 45 are provided upon two spring members 46, each consisting of a rectangular base secured by screws 47 to the outer wall of the control member 30 and having a pair of upwardly extending leaf springs bent from its two vertical edges.

As clearly shown in Fig. 4, the ends of the stems preferably bear the legends On and OFF-the legend On in its upper position indicating that the respective valve is in operative position, and the legend Ofi in its upper position indicating that the respective valve is in in-operative position. In order to conveniently indicate to the operator which of the valves controls the respective quadrants of the head, the wall of the member 30 preferably is provided with a diagram 48 representing the four quadrants of the head respectively numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4, in corresponding position to the quadrants of the head, and the valves for controlling these respective quadrants are provided with the legends 1, 2, 3 and 4.

In Figs. 5-8 there is shown the alternative arrangement wherein the selective control member 30 is connected at a remote point to the sprinkler head. The remote connection means comprises a flexible hose 49 of any suitable length provided with four conduit passages 50, and having secured upon its respective ends a pair of identical connector members 51-51 adapted to be respectively connected to the flange 29 of the sprinkler head, to connect the four hose passages 50 to the four passages 28 of the sprinkler head, and to the selective control member 30 to connect the four control valves 38 to the four hose passages.

-The connector members 51 each comprise a rectangular block 52 and a cover plate 53 secured to the block by screws 54, bolt holes 55 being provided in the four corners of the assembled block and cover plate, whereby the respective connector members are adapted to be connected to the flange 29 by bolts 56 and to the selective controlmember 30 by bolts 57. The cover plate 53 is provided with four openings 58 arranged in a square pattern corresponding to the cross-sectional arrangement of the conduit passages 50 of the hose 49. Projecting tubes 59 are secured as by brazing within the openings 58, and are adapted to beinserted in the conduit passages 50 in the respective end of the hose 49, the hose being secured by a clamping ring 60. The block member 52 is provided with four aligned openings 61, the two intermediate openings being axially aligned and in direct communication with the lower two openings 58 of the cover plate 53, while the two end openings are connected by passages 62 to the two upper openings 58 of the cover plate. The aligned openings 61 of the connector member connected to the flange 29 register with the respective passages 28 of the sprinkler head, while the aligned openings 61 of the connector member connected to the selective control member 30 register with the respective openings of the valves 38.

The remote connecting means thus provides at a remote point the same operative relationship between the selective control member 30 and the sprinkler head as obtains in the arrangement illustrated in Figs. 14 where the control member is directly connected to the sprinkler head. As shown in Fig. 5, a conventional hose. 63 has its exteriorly threaded end fitting 64 screwed into the hub 37 of the selective control member 30.

What is claimed is:

1. In a lawn sprinkler, a sprinkler head comprising a body member having a horizontal base wall, groundengaging support legs extended downwardly from the under side of said base wall for supporting said base wall in parallel spaced relation to the ground, vertically extending partition wall means fixed at the upperside of said base wall dividing said body member into a plurality of compartments open at their upper sides, cover means enclosing the upper sides of said compartments and having spray openings in communication with said respective compartments, said base wall having aplurality of parallel side by side horizontal inlet passages in spaced parallel relation to its upper side and vertical ports respectively at the inner ends of said passages opening to said respective compartments, and said passages extending to one side of the periphery of said base 'wall with their outer ends in grouped relation at said one side, control means having a distribution chamber for receiving water from a supply source and a plurality of outlet passages corresponding in number to and in communication with the outer ends of said inlet passages, and valve means for controlling the passage of water from said chamber to at least one of said compartments.

2. In a lawn sprinkler, a sprinkler head comprising a body member having a base wall, ground-engaging means fixed to said body member, partition walls at the upper side of said base Wall dividing said body member into a plurality of compartments, cover means enclosing the upper sides of said compartments and having spray openings in communication with said respective compartments, said base wall having a plurality of parallel side by side horizontal inlet passages corresponding in number to the number of compartments and respectively in communication at their inner ends with said compartments and extending to one side of the periphery of said base wall, said body member having a vertical side wall at said one side normal to the axes of said inlet passages to which their outer ends open in grouped relation, control means having a distribution chamber for receiving water from a supply source and a plurality of outlet passages corresponding in number to and in communication with the outer ends of said inlet passages, and a plurality of valve means for selectively controlling the passage of water from said chamber to said compartments.

3. In a lawn sprinkler, a sprinkler head comprising a body member having a base wall, ground-engaging support means fixed to'said body member, partition walls at the upper side of said base wall dividing said body member into a plurality of compartments, cover meansenclosing the upper sidesof said compartments and having spray openings in communication with said respective compartments, said base wall having a plurality of inlet passages corresponding in number to the number of compartments and respectively in communication at their inner ends with said compartments and extending to one side of the periphery of said base wall withtheir outer ends in grouped relation at said one side, controlmeans having a distribution chamber for receiving waterfrom a supply source and a plurality of outlet passagescorresponding in number to and in communication with the outer ends of said inlet passages, a plurality-of.valve means carried by said control means for selectively controlling the passage of Water from said chamber through said outlet passages, and a flexible hose interposed between said sprinkler head and said control means and having a plurality of conduit passages in respective communication at their respective ends with said plurality ,of inlet passages of said sprinkler head and said plurality of outlet passages of said control means.

4. In a lawn sprinkler, a sprinkler head comprising a body member having a base Wall, ground-engaging support means fixed to said body member, partitionwallsat the upper side of said base wall dividing'said bodymemher into a plurality .of compartmenta cover means enclosing the upper sides of said compartments andhavin-g spray openings in communication with said respective compartments, said base wall'having a plurality of-inlet passages corresponding in number to the number of..compartments and respectively in communication at .thei.r inner endswith said compartments and extending to:,.0ne side of the periphery of said base wall with. their outer ends in grouped relation at said one side, control means having a distribution chamber for receiving water from a supply source and a plurality of outlet passages corresponding in number to and in communicationwith the outer ends of said inlet passages,.a plurality of valve means carried by said control means for selectively controlling the passage of water from said chamber through said outlet passages, a flexible hose interposed-between said sprinkler head and said control means and having a plurality of conduit passages in respective communication at their respective ends with said plurality of inletpassages of said sprinklerhead and said plurality of outlet passages of said control means, and connector .means carried by the respective ends of said hose for respective connection to said sprinkler head and said control means and having passages in continuation .of said conduit passages of said hose for register and communication with said inlet passages of said sprinkler headland said outlet passages of said control means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,173,771 Cook Feb. 29, 1916 1,200,972 Passmann Oct. 10,- 1916 1,271,719 Kennedy July -8, 1918 1,380,464 Brooks June 7, 1921 1,592,209 Heine July 13, 1926 1,609,430 Schlesinger Dec. 7, 1926 2,634,163 Double Apr. 7, 1953 2,729,504 Zukas Jan. 3, 1956 2,805,098 Hurley Sept. 3, 1957 

